


My job is secure. No one else wants it.

by Watermelon Wolves (lookididthething)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Friendship, Gen, General lack of Health and Safety, Job fairs, M/M, Terrible wizard jobs, Voldemort is just kind of missing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 22:00:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5682349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookididthething/pseuds/Watermelon%20Wolves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A job fair comes to Hogwarts. Harry is expecting a relaxed day listening to presentations and wandering around looking at posters. He quickly discovers, however, that job fairs, like so many other things, are completely different in the wizarding world. Many extremely concerning practical demonstrations occur--Harry manages to get injured during every single one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Poster

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Suica](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suica/gifts).



  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 987th Quadrennial Job Fair

Students are formally invited to attend the wizardly job fair that will he held this Friday, November 13th, on the Hogwarts grounds.

In keeping with tradition there will be hands-on experiences as well as presentations by Horace Slughorn, retired potions professor, Dragonologist Charles Weasley, and St Mungo’s nurse Rohan Acharya.

Students are encouraged to experiences a wide variety of occupations.

Third year, fourth year, fifth year, sixth year and seventh year students are excused from morning and afternoon classes.

FIRST AND SECOND YEAR STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ATTEND. And will be expected to attend classes as scheduled.

Please bring quill and parchment.

-Professor McGonagall; Deputy Headmistress; Head of Gryffindor House

 

“Have you decided what you’ll be doing tomorrow? “ Hermione asked, dropping her armful of books down on the Gryffindor table.

The solid ‘thump’ that eight kilograms of knowledge makes when it hits solid oak snapped Harry out of his unfocused haze and sent Neville fumbling with his mail at the other end of the table. 

Hermione sat down in front of her books, grabbing an empty plate while simultaneously fixing Harry and Ron with a look that indicated she didn’t trust them to take proper advantage of the educational opportunities offered them without her reminders.

To her credit the looks they were giving her implied that they were not only not taking advantage of the educational opportunities offered, but willfully ignorant of all but the vaguest details.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ron. Who, being the one sitting across from her, was in an ideal place for that.

“Your brother is coming all the way from Romania, isn’t he? As a speaker.”

“Mum’s been rambling about Charlie coming for months," Ron said around his mouthful of chocolate plum cake, sounding less than enthralled as he glanced at the poster hanging over Harry’s head.  “During hatching season even! Figure I’ll be spending most of the day helping him with… whatever it is he’s bringing. Putting up posters and handing out scrolls and the like.”

Harry tried to imagine Charlie in Romania, packing up dragon-based visual aids and informative pamphlets like those his uncle had once had on drill bits. He wondered what wizarding infographics looked like, and if there was any word you could attach to wizarding to make it  sound more boring than “infographic” did.

“There’re supposed to be well over four dozen different career representatives coming,” Hermione interrupted, pulling a piece of parchment out of one of her books and brandishing the extensive list of names at the two. She was starting to look just a little bit desperate. “Wizards and witches from all sorts of jobs will be there! What about you, Harry? Moody's doing an Auror demonstration that will probably be fascinating.”

“Probably try a bit of everything,” Harry said. “Wander around. Look at posters. Typical career fair things.”

Ron groaned. “If we weren’t missing Potions the whole thing would be a wash. It’s going to be so bloody boring. Listening to lecture after lecture about wizarding jobs all day.” 

His words instantly united every muggle born at the table, and Harry, against him in incredulous frustration. Harry and her shared a brief look and decided without discussion that Ron was thick and they loved him anyways. ( Although Hermione was doubly frustrated, as she took offense to both the implication that learning about wizarding jobs would be boring AND the implication that lectures in general were boring.)

Regardless of if the information was on posters and in pamphlets, Harry doubted it would be boring. Although it would probably be a fair bit calmer than what their lives had been like at this time last year, it would still be interesting to see, Harry figured. And he, for one, was ready for that.

It would be a nice change to spend a quiet day looking at posters, Harry thought. Unaware that that kind of thinking warped the universe around itself to ensure the opposite. (Almost exclusively  for comedic effect.)

“What?” Ron asked bewildered by the looks. Never mind that idea that anyone would find something like an emporium of magical métiers anything less than dull.


	2. Dragonology! pt 1

The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 987th Quadrennial Job Fair had popped up across the school grounds nearly overnight. The classrooms on one side of the building had been converted to meeting and demonstration rooms while outside brightly-colored tents were raised across the grounds for those jobs deemed too big to be contained indoors.

The largest was a mountain of thick red and black fabric hugging the lake shore. It had a different dragon embroidered on each panel. The smallest looked a bit like a greenhouse. It was long and thin, and although it’s walls and ceiling draped like typical fabric Harry was sure it was made of glass. (It seemed like it was poorly placed, being so close to the Whomping Willow and all.) It sparkled in the early morning sun, and as he rushed past Harry could see a jungle of exotic plants inside.

He only got a glimpse of each tent as he trekked along the muddy footpath between Ron and Hermione. Hermione was double checking her list as she walked, reaffirming the careful schedule she’d made for herself and continuing her running commentary. 

“Gringotts has sent someone from their curse casting, curse breaking, curse repairing, cartography, dragon care and wellbeing, and HR divisions. I suppose with more and more goblins branching out into other fields, they’re looking for staff… Ooh! “Horace Slughorn, retired professor of potions at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and current chief consultant to Brewers & Sons, will be lecturing on the professional development of potions this afternoon!” “ 

When Ron and Harry failed to look as interested as Hermione had obviously deemed proper, she fixed them both with the kind of exasperated look usually reserved for directionally challenged owl. “He was Potions Professor for over fifty years. Even if you are hopeless at the subject, it wouldn’t hurt to go. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge, you know. Anyways, you can’t spend the whole day hanging around Charlie and this dragons. “ 

“I don’t bloody well see why not,” Ron protested. “It’s going to be more interesting than listening to a bunch of Healers and Ministry of Magic employees going on and on. Right, Harry? “

“It couldn’t hurt to poke around,” Harry said, hoping that would be enough to prevent Hermione from burning two neat little holes in Ron’s skull with her eyes. “Besides, I’ve gotten close enough to dragons to do me for a lifetime.”

Most of the tents were still being set up, but a handful of students from each house had already started drifting between them. Groups of two or three were poking around or lingering outside of a chosen tent while the final preparations were made. The trio rounded a group of Arithmancers who were arguing loudly about who was supposed to bring the abacuses. Ron was starting to realize he was probably going to be wrangling dragons alone. 

“Charlie brought papanași pasties!” he provided, desperation raising his voice several pitches. 

“Papanași pasties are not a career choice, Ronald Bilius Weasley!” Hermione snapped back. “Harry is coming with me and seeing at least some of the exciting employment opportunities being showcased here! Right, Harry?“ 

Harry wasn’t listening. Harry was staring off across the fields towards a neon-yellow and periwinkle tent, behind which he was sure he had just seen Draco Malfoy duck behind. 

Not that Harry cared where Draco Malfoy was lurking. He had absolutely no interest in Draco Malfoy or his current location. 

Absolutely. Zero. None at all. He could care less. (author's note: he could have, in fact, care less.) 

“Uh-huh. Showcase. We can go to a few,“ Harry answered, still too distracted to notice Hermione’s smug expression. 

It had dawned on Harry back at the castle doors that posters would not be the main attraction at any of these stations. That didn’t mean there was a shortage of them. Every tent had a sign and an animated poster advertising the opportunity to have hands on experience at this or that job. Something about the combined knowledge of Charlie’s work and emphasis on “hands on”--not to mention Hermione’s insistence that they go over everything listed… 

Yes, by now there was more than a niggling doubt in the back of Harry’s mind about his initial expectations as he studied the slightly too Triwizard Tournament Dragon Storage-looking tent. 

“Dragonology!” read the sign above the “doors”. The poster next to it boasted that it was “One of the most exciting and rewarding magizoologist specialities there is!” Harry only had a few seconds to wonder what the other “rewarding” magizoologist specialities were, and what kind of life expectancy there was across the board, when he felt Hermione grab hold of the back of his robes and “gently guide” him past the tent. 

Her face very clearly said that they were going to go educate themselves about their job options post-Hogwarts. Ron’s face very clearly said that there was no use fighting her. 

“See you back here in a few hours for Charlie’s demonstration, “ he called after them.


End file.
